Solo drivers
Adults on their own
Single quads
- Driver age16 or over
- PassengerNone
- BookingUp to 8 travelers
Tick-off checklist
Quad biking requirements in Franz Josef: ages, heights and limits
Guided off-road quad bike tour, Franz Josef
★ 4.9 · 369 user reviews
The short version
The quad biking requirements in Franz Josef start at age 16 for single quad drivers, and passengers on a quad must be 145 cm tall.
Other lines
- Drivers with a minor as passenger must be 18 or over
- Buggy passengers must be 110 cm tall
- The listing states no driving licence requirement
To-do list · 9 items
A rules checklist for your group
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All set. Only the booking is left: your two hours in the rainforest.
Reserve a spotWho may drive, who may ride behind, how tall a passenger must be and what the listing says about licences, health and weather. Every limit below comes from the listing or an official source.
Editorial team, franzjosefquadbiking.com · Updated November 6, 2026 · Read in 6 min
In brief
- Driver ageDrivers of single quads must be 16 or over, and drivers with a minor as passenger must be 18 or over.
- Passenger heightPassengers on a quad must be 145 cm tall, and passengers in the buggy 110 cm.
- LicenceThe listing states no driving licence requirement.
- HealthThe listing advises against the tour for travelers with spinal injuries or who are pregnant.
- GroupUp to 8 travelers can book at once, and the ride runs with a group of up to 14.
Who can drive, and at what age
The quad biking requirements start with age. The Viator listing for the Franz Josef tour says drivers of single quads must be at least 16, and that drivers with a minor as passenger must be at least 18. A teenager under 16 cannot drive, and the rules page of any booking site should be read before a family pays.
There is one wrinkle that is worth knowing. A GetYourGuide listing of a similar 2-hour tour for a single quad says drivers of single quads must be 16 or over and drivers of double quads 18 or over. That is stricter than the Viator wording for an adult driver with an adult passenger, which asks for 18 only when the passenger is a minor. The two pages are different listings, so follow the one you book on and write to the operator if your group sits between the lines.
No separate qualification is named. The listing states no driving licence requirement, and a reviewer says no prior driving experience is needed. What the guide asks of you is simpler: listen to the briefing, pass the practice run and ride at the pace the group sets. Reviewers describe exactly that sequence, and two of them call the guides safety conscious.
The limits side by side
Quad, double quad and buggy rules
| Vehicle | Driver | Passenger | Seats |
|---|---|---|---|
| Single quad | 16 or over | None | One rider |
| Double quad | 18 or over with a minor passenger | 145 cm tall, cannot swap | One driver and one passenger |
| Three-seater buggy | Adult driver | 110 cm tall | Two adults and one child |
A GetYourGuide listing of a similar tour sets 18 for any double quad driver and books single quads only, so the page you book on is the one that counts.
Passengers, heights and the buggy
Passengers follow a height rule, not an age rule. The listing sets 145 cm as the minimum for a passenger on a quad bike and 110 cm for a passenger in the buggy. A double quad carries one driver and one passenger, the passenger is not allowed to drive, and the two cannot swap places at any point on the tour.
The buggy exists for families. It is a three-seater that takes two adults and one child, and the listing gives the 110 cm line for the child. A double quad must be booked for 2, 4 or 6 people, so a group of three needs a mix such as one double and one single, or a buggy with the third seat filled. Up to 8 travelers can be on one booking.
Is quad biking dangerous for a child? The official side of passengers is cautious. WorkSafe New Zealand says most quad bikes are not designed to carry a passenger, and that carrying a child as a passenger on a quad bike designed for one rider is particularly dangerous.1,2 That guidance is about farm and work bikes built for one person. The listing's double quads are described as two-seater machines, and its buggy as a three-seater, which is the point of choosing them.
Height lines compared
The minimum heights set by operators
- Buggy passenger110 cm
- Heli hike guest137cm
- Quad passenger145 cm
The buggy and quad lines come from the quad listing, and the 137cm line is the Franz Josef Glacier Guides rule for its heli hike.3
Health, fitness and who should skip it
The listing calls the tour suitable for all physical fitness levels. It is a ride through mud and water, and the listing adds that it does not recommend the tour for travelers with spinal injuries or for pregnant travelers. Read that line with your own doctor in mind if either applies to anyone in your group.
Older riders are not turned away by the reviews. Two reviewers say they are in their 60s or 70s and had a great time, and one four-star reviewer warns only that you can still get wet despite the gear. The tour is not a quiet viewpoint, so weigh the bumps and the mud against your own comfort.
Nothing in the record sets a weight rule or an alcohol rule for this tour, so this page does not invent one. If you have a question the listing does not answer, the operator is the right person to ask, and the manual confirmation step on the booking leaves room for it. Do not assume a missing rule means a missing risk.
A short chooser
Can your group ride?
Say who you are travelling with and the answer comes with the line that decides it.
If Everyone is 16 or over
A single quad each
Drivers of single quads must be 16 or over.
If A parent and a small child
The buggy
The buggy takes two adults and one child, and a buggy passenger must be 110 cm tall.
If A child who is under 145 cm
Not a quad passenger
Passengers on a quad must be 145 cm tall.
If Someone is pregnant
Choose another day out
The listing does not recommend the tour for pregnant travelers.
If Nobody wants to drive
A lake cruise or a flight
Neither the 2-hour cruise nor the 25-minute flight asks anyone to drive.
Three common groups
Which vehicle fits your group
Pairs
A couple sharing
A double quad
- SeatsOne driver, one passenger
- Passenger145 cm tall
- SwappingNot allowed
Families
A family with a child
The buggy
- SeatsTwo adults, one child
- Child110 cm tall
- AdultsBoth can ride along
Is quad biking safe, and is it dangerous?
Is quad biking safe? It is an adventure activity with real risk, and the official material says so in plain terms. WorkSafe New Zealand administers the Health and Safety at Work (Adventure Activities) Regulations 2016, which deal with the provision of adventure activities and include a public list of registered adventure activity operators.5 Checking an operator against that list is a fair way to answer the question for yourself.
What the listing and reviews add is how the day is run. The guide teaches you to ride, and reviewers describe a test drive before the trail and guides who stress safety. The group is capped at 14 and rides behind guides. None of that removes the risk, but first-timers in the reviews describe feeling supported.
WorkSafe's guidance says a child is unlikely to have the skill, weight and mental development needed to ride safely as a passenger on a bike made for one rider.2 Take the height rule seriously and put small children in the buggy, where the listing allows a child of 110 cm. When in doubt, choose the vehicle with the most seats and the most structure.
Work out the bill
Compare two ways to book a quad ride
Choose how many are coming and see the from price for each listing.
Compare 2 side by side
Compare two ways to book a quad ride
Choose how many are coming and see the from price for each listing.
- This site's ride2 hours · starts at, per person $104
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View - Single quad listing2 hours · starts at, per person $146
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View
Currency conversion uses the ECB reference rate on GetYourGuide from-prices. The exact price is displayed when you book.
From booking to the first ride
How the rules apply, step by step
At booking
Pick the vehicle
Choose a single quad, a double quad or the three-seater buggy, and count heights first.
After paying
Wait for confirmation
The listing says confirmation is manual, and free cancellation runs up to 24 hours before.
Day before
Check the forecast
The operator may cancel for bad weather or too few travelers.
15 min before
Arrive at the base
Meet on the Main Road next to The Landing Restaurant.
At the base
Kit and lesson
Wet weather gear and gumboots go on and the guide teaches you to ride.
Trail
Ride by the guide's rules
Passengers stay passengers on a double quad, and nobody swaps.
Weather, cancellation and the booking terms
Rain does not stop the ride, and the operator calls it the ultimate rainy day activity in its listing on the Tourism New Zealand site.6 What can stop it is safety or numbers: the listing lets the operator cancel for bad weather or too few travelers. The Department of Conservation says river levels in the Waiho Valley can change rapidly during and after heavy rain.7
Free cancellation runs up to 24 hours before the start for a full refund. Confirmation is manual, so the voucher may not arrive the second you pay. If your group cannot meet the age or height lines on the day, there is no promise of a refund beyond the cancellation window, so check the numbers before you book, not at the base.
The meeting point is simple to reach. Guests meet 15 minutes before the trip on the Main Road next to The Landing Restaurant, in the same building as Glacier Helicopters and Air Safaris. Plan to arrive early, because the lesson and the kit-up come before the engines do.
Video
Quad biking around Franz Josef Glacier
TravelKiwi on YouTube · Nothing is fetched until you hit play.
Carrying a child as a passenger on a quad bike is particularly dangerous, and may have deadly consequences.
Price and what is included
The tour starts from $104 per person, with a rating of 4.9 from 369 reviews. A helmet, gumboots and wet weather gear are included, and so are free photos. You do not need to hire or buy anything to meet the rules, because the listing supplies the safety kit.
The same style of tour on a GetYourGuide listing starts from $146 for a single quad, with 323 reviews and a rating of 4.8. The price gap is worth a minute of attention, but it is not a like-for-like comparison, because that listing books single quads only. Match the vehicle you need to the listing before you compare the numbers.
If your group does not meet the rules for a quad, there are other ways to spend the day. A 2-hour lake cruise starts from $73 and a 25-minute glacier flight from $221, and neither asks for a driver. The things-to-do page on this site lays out the rest of the options around town.
FAQ
Common questions, answered fast.
What age do you need to drive a quad bike in Franz Josef?
16 for a single quad.
Drivers of single quads must be 16 or over, and drivers with a minor as passenger 18 or over.
How tall must a passenger be on a quad?
145 cm on a quad, 110 cm in the buggy.
Those are the heights the listing sets for passengers on a quad and in the buggy.
Do you need a licence for quad biking in Franz Josef?
The listing names no licence.
It states no driving licence requirement, and a reviewer says no prior driving experience is needed.
Can children ride on a quad bike tour?
Yes, in the buggy or on a double quad.
The buggy takes two adults and one child of 110 cm, and a quad passenger must be 145 cm.
Is quad biking safe for pregnant travelers?
The listing advises against it.
It does not recommend the tour for pregnant travelers or those with spinal injuries.
Can we swap drivers during the ride?
No, swapping is not allowed.
On a double quad the passenger may not drive and the two cannot swap places.
Who checks adventure operators in New Zealand?
WorkSafe keeps the register.
It administers the Adventure Activities Regulations 2016 and publishes a list of registered operators.5
How many people can book at once?
Up to 8 travelers.
The listing accepts up to 8 travelers per booking, and the ride runs with up to 14 in the group.
Sources
- WorkSafe New Zealand (official site) · Carrying passengers on quad bikes ↩
- WorkSafe New Zealand (official site) · Carrying passengers on quad bikes ↩
- Franz Josef Glacier Guides (operator official site) · Franz Josef Heli Hike ↩
- Department of Conservation (doc.govt.nz) · Franz Josef Glacier/Kā Roimata o Hine Hukatere ↩
- WorkSafe New Zealand (official site) · Adventure activities ↩
- Tourism New Zealand (newzealand.com) · Franz Josef Wilderness Tours - Off-Road Adventures ↩
- Department of Conservation (doc.govt.nz) · Franz Josef Glacier/Kā Roimata o Hine Hukatere ↩
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